


The Silent Hunter

by sammi1989



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Feral, Gen, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:34:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28605294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammi1989/pseuds/sammi1989
Summary: For years, a mysterious figure has wandered the Georgia wilderness. Some have called it an unsettled spirit while others have speculated it to be some mythical creature. Deputy Rick Grimes decides to look further into this so-called Silent Hunter after wrapping up a missing child case....
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One  
Strange creatures dwelled deep in the Georgia wilderness…  
After one night in the woods, Sophia Pelletier was convinced that Granny Carson had been right about monsters lurking in the woods. Every shadow had the potential to morph into something that wanted to eat little girls. Every sound sent her heart racing as she huddled against the base of a giant tree.   
Sunrise brought brief relief to the young girl. Soft golden light chased away the darkness but her situation became painfully apparent. Tripping over a tree root the night before had rendered her right ankle swollen and useless. Shallow cuts marred her bare arms and one sunburned cheek. Her tongue felt heavy and her throat felt dry. She hadn’t had any water since the previous morning. Mama had not been able to get into the cooler before Daddy started hitting her. Sophia had sprinted into the woods upon hearing her Mama’s strangled cry to run. Now, she was lost. Despite being in desperate need of water, she began to sob into her knees.  
SNAP! Her head whipped up to look at the source of this ominous sound, expecting to meet a giant bear. Instead she was met with the sight of a man. He was covered in dirty clothes from head to toe. It looked like he had a string of dead squirrels hooked to his belt. A dark bandana covered the bottom half of his face, but she would never forget those sharp blue eyes. Something big was strapped to his back. One muscled arm held out a canteen. 

A quick shake of his hand caused the water to slosh inside the camo patterned container. Sophia accepted the unspoken offer. She used her shirt’s hem to wipe her mouth after finishing drinking. “Thank you,” she gasped. “Can you take me back to my mom?”

Notes: This story will be non-canon. I will be playing around with ages, occupations, etc. As I continue to post, I will add more notes.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversation in the Room 45....

Chapter Two  
“At least I don’t need to look for a divorce lawyer.”  
Carol Pelletier looked like hell underneath the ambient light of her hospital room. Chunks of her graying hair had been ripped out. The swelling around her eyes had receded but the flesh was still bruised. Her jaw had been wired shut but she could still talk. One arm was wrapped in a heavy orange cast. She stroked the blonde hair of her sleeping daughter with her still intact arm.  
“I’m not going to hold that against you, Mam.” Deputy Rick Grimes reassured the new widow. “No one would expect you to spill any tears over him after what he did.”  
The King County Sheriff’s Department had responded to an assault in progress three days before. It took three deputies and a Good Samaritan named Dale Hovarth to pull the late Ed Pelletier off his unconscious wife. While being wrestled into a pair of handcuffs, that brute of a man suffered a massive heart attack that proved almost immediately fatal. Coroner speculated it was a combination of the rage fit and an unhealthy lifestyle. It wasn’t until Carol woke up in the hospital six hours later that anyone knew about Sophia.  
“Have you found the man?” She whispered.  
Deputy Grimes shook his head. “Your daughter says he carried her to the old highway after giving her some water. Stayed with her until one of our patrol cars came around the curve. Then, he disappeared back into the woods.”  
The mother sighed. “Mystery man probably did more for her than her daddy ever did.”   
“Here is my card.” He gave her a crisp white business card. “Call me if you have any additional questions or information, Mrs. Pelletier.”  
Hours later, Deputy Grimes was driving along the old highway. The Pelletier case weighed heavily on his mind. It could be considered a successful outcome: little Sophia had been found alive and mostly unharmed. Sheriff Davis had little if any interest in combing the woods for a man who might or might not exist. Some deputies speculated that it could’ve been a figment of her imagination. She had been pretty dehydrated and in shock when Deputy Williams found her sitting on the edge of the road. He was not as convinced. The rest area was miles away from the old highway. Most out of towners would not know it existed unless they took a wrong turn somewhere. So a child who had no local knowledge of the landscape managed to find a little known road that was still patrolled regularly?   
As he approached the Confederate Obelisk, a crumbling Civil War monument, his blue eyes caught something in the shadows. It looked like a lone man walking through the tree line. Deputy Grimes blinked, the man was gone…. 

Notes: In short, no one knew about Sophia's disappearance because Ed was dead, Carol was unconscious, and Dale hadn't seen Sophia.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Autumn has come to King County

Chapter Three  
It was that time of year when Summer and Autumn battled for supremacy. Frost coated the land almost each morning. By afternoon, the sun would be blazing high in the sky. It was a brief season that would soon fade into harsh Winter. Rick Grimes relished the last kisses of summer while he could.  
“Are you part cat?” Morgan Jones joked. He leaned against the patrol car.   
“Just enjoying this weather?” Grimes drawled as he finished stretching. It was his ritual: stretches in the parking lot before starting his shift. It helped loosen him up to chase down the various miscreants of King County. “I’ve been doing this since high school. Doctor also recommended part of my physical therapy after you know what.”  
The middle aged Black man grimaced. Deputy Jones’s first day on the force coincided with the incident that put his friend in a coma. He had a front row seat to the initial chaos after the shooting and the explosion that followed a miraculous recovery. “Come on. We have to make our rounds.”  
Deputy Grimes laughed as he got into the cruiser and began the day. Their usual route took them through the town square, the schools, etc. Nothing caught their attention, which could be a blessing and a curse. Things had been quiet since the Pelletier case was closed. Without thinking, he drove past Confederate Monument.   
“Are you still trying to find that Hunter?” Deputy Jones fixed a critical eye on his partner. He was the only person who knew about that late night sighting. It had been shared over a bottle of fine whiskey. “I’m not saying you imagined something but if he’s real, he’s probably long gone.”   
“Might be, but he would be passing up a good place to hunker down.” Deputy Grimes mused. “Our woods have some mighty fine hunting and a lot of places to hide.”   
“Moonshine shacks?” Deputy Jones smirks.  
“Moonshine hasn’t been a problem here for a few decades,” Grimes explains as he circles back to town. “Yeah, there are still quite a few old shacks still standing out here. We also have some abandoned deer stands, a few vacation cabins, you know the usual stuff. Shane and I tried to map out the abandoned places in our freshmen year. We actually thought about claiming one for ourselves as a party house.”  
The memories of that summer gave Grimes a heavy heart. It was the last summer they had together before Lori Richards walked into the King County High School. Looking back, he could see the subtle changes in his former friend. Quickly, he stuffed all those complicated emotions down. “I’m lucky that Carl isn’t really interested in those yet.”   
Around 11 o’ clock, they bought lunch from Della’s café. The rotund woman with a huge gap tooth smile brought them boxes of hamburgers and fries. Deputy Grimes parked the car behind a billboard that led to town. They could’ve eaten inside but the patrol car gave them a bit more privacy to speak.  
“Hunting season opens next week,” Deputy Grimes announced. “Sheriff Jackson will have deputies stationed around the main entrance points leading into the hunting grounds. We’ll be there checking licenses, making sure no one has prohibited weapons, and to keep things from getting too crazy.”

Notes: Shane is no longer Rick's partner on the force but he is still around. I can't imagine Sheriff Jackson being stupid enough to keep them together after the spectacular blow-up following Rick discovering the affair. I welcome any comments below.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Silent Hunter is making plans in the woods.

Chapter Four  
The time to move deeper into the woods had come…

Distant gunfire disturbed his morning routine. The lone figure froze, listening intently for more shots or voices. His mind quickly assessed the distance between himself and the noise’s source. Carefully he stood from the icy creek’s edge and briskly walked back to his sparse campsite.

While keeping an eye on his surroundings, he redressed in a collection of worn and mix matched clothing. A thinning flannel shirt, a heavy green poncho, and a black leather vest swamped his dangerously lean frame. Despite all his best efforts, he couldn’t keep weight on to save his life. He tightened the laces on well-worn hiking boots. He pulled up the navy blue bandana over his nose before slapping on an ancient military hat. He packed up an equally meager collection of belongings before picking a direction and walking.

Muscled arms cradled the crossbow as he trudged through the woods. Sharp blue eyes surveyed the landscape, looking for his next meal or for any interlopers. The hiker’s pack, found abandoned in the mountains years ago, dug into his broad shoulders with the weight of salvaged goods. People were quite wasteful and careless when camping on the weekends. It at least kept him well stocked with toothpaste and granola bars. His mind was whirring with potential plans for the winter. 

During his exploration of the area, he found an ancient cabin that had not been touched in a very long time. Nature was doing a good job of reclaiming the structure but it was still standing. The plan was to clear out the debris and use it as his winter camp. Even if he couldn’t get the old black stove to work, he at least had a roof and four walls to shield him from the coming cold weather. He counted himself lucky to have that much these days. 

Deer tracks caught his attention. Man and animal appeared to be going in the same direction. He briefly considered taking the animal down but opted not to. Until he snagged stuff needed to preserve the meat, it would be wasteful to take down something that large. City slickers invaded the wilderness to shoot whatever they could and use only a fraction of the kill. It disgusted him. It never hurt to keep his skills sharp so he followed the trail. 

In a clearing, he saw a young buck. The animal was grazing peacefully in the morning light. He stared at the deer, appreciating the sight for its natural beauty and what it could provide. It was the last thing he remembered before a blast of gunfire erupted…

Notes: As always, I welcome any comments. I promise that things will get very interesting and complicated going forward


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos in the ER....

Chapter Five

No one working the day shift expected such a scene at King County General Hospital.

Jenny Jones rushed towards the ambulance bay to meet her patient. Her time as an ER nurse in Atlanta had given her too much experience with gunshot injuries. Such experience gave her the dubious honor of being the go-to person when the rare living gunshot victim was wheeled into the Emergency Room. Most of her colleagues also believed being the wife of a law enforcement officer gave her tougher nerves than most. 

“Male victim was unconscious when we arrived,” the paramedic reported while pushing the gurney towards a treatment room. “Bullet grazed the temple. Patient appears underweight but vitals are stable.”

“Age and name?” Nurse Jenny asked as they finally made it to the treatment room. She was examining the laceration bleeding sluggishly. 

“Unknown,” the second paramedic admitted. “No ID. No one at the scene knew him.”

“Let’s get our John Doe onto the bed,” Dr. Miller ordered. He was a portly man with thinning black hair and watery blue eyes. 

The paramedics and nurses began lifting their nameless patient from the gurney when he exploded in a flurry of panicked movement. People screamed as the man jerked out of their grip and hit the hard tile floor. Instantly, he began running blindly through the Emergency Room. Patients and staff scrambled to get out of the path of this strange feral man. He was almost to the automatic doors of the ambulance bay when a burly form clad in brown and khaki tackled him to the rough carpeted floor. 

What followed was a blur of fists and feet. One man was cursing and barking orders while the other just growled like a wild animal. Finally, the much larger form placed the John Doe into a chokehold. After what seemed like an eternity, the restrained man went limp. The Emergency Room became eerily quiet. 

Nurse Jenny approached the pair cautiously. Her left eye was already swelling up from an uncoordinated hit. “Deputy Walsh,” she gasped out shakily. 

Shane Walsh released his hold on the once again unconscious John Doe. Blood drizzled out of his strong nose but it didn’t look broken. Clumps of black hair had been pulled out in the struggle. He stood up, full of swagger and bravado. He spat out blood next to the prone body.

“Motherfucker fights like a cat on crack.” He rasped before walking away.

Notes: Medical personnel are at high risk of being attacked during the course of their workdays. Often they are dealing with patients who are mentally ill, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or are in police custody.   
Shane Walsh will be a mildly antagonistic figure in this story. As always, I welcome your feedback.


End file.
